Common rush as mulch

Greetings!
We are working to restore a peat bog that was partially drained (we are filling in the drainage trenches and adding ponds). Can the ‘problem’ of common rush be turned into a partial ‘solution’ by using the cuttings as mulch in our garden beds on higher elevation ground? Anyone have any experience with this use? we are in a primarily coniferous forested area without animals, so if we can use our cuttings of rush for this purpose it would save purchasing mulch or gathering from off site areas. I’ve not found any studies on this yet.

I woud think it would make really good mulch. I've cut quite a bit of it here with the scythe and slashed a lot with the tractor. In a thick layer it definitely stops the soil drying out underneath, slows weeds right down and breaks down slowly without bringing in any baddies.
Last year after two unusually wet years we had a huge area of rushes about four feet high which laid over and was so thick the sheep couldn't get through it and the slasher on the tractor couldn't cut it. In the end I called in the local rural fire brigade. They turned up about eight O'clock one night with eleven men and five trucks with lights flashing and set it on fire as a training exercise. We got some really spectacular photos! Did an awesome job and then I ploughed the ground and sowed it down with pasture seed- it's now the most productive patch of grazing ground we have.

Any organic material is good as a mulch.

Yes, even your common rush.

And please let us know how this work our for you ...

Thank you very much for your reply Jay! What a great story about the fire brigade versus rush patch! Not an option for us (the peat would burn for years!). We are hand cutting before seed set and hoping this will give the native grasses a fighting chance.

Allangela art wrote:Thank you very much for your reply Jay! What a great story about the fire brigade versus rush patch! Not an option for us (the peat would burn for years!). We are hand cutting before seed set and hoping this will give the native grasses a fighting chance.

No peat here- but that's OK- no ridiculously acid soils either    As I said, I've cut a lot of rush with a scythe. It works well, but you need a short brush blade and you need to take it in little bites. I'm always looking at the stuff I cut and thinking I should store it and use it for something later, but I have so much papyrus, phragmites and willow in the shed already. I collect "stuff".  My dear old father was stood in my biggest shed one day with his hands on his hips, just looking around. Eventually he said "Mate, what you need in here is a bloody good fire".  

Gonna be a stinker today. Some places expecting 46 degrees C- about 115 F. A good day for a visit to the river methinks.